This invention relates to a means for providing a fluid in the internal cavity of a pneumatic tire when the tire is run flat. So situated, the fluid (which may contain a lubricant, a puncture sealing material and a reinflation material or any combination of these), when it contains a lubricant, helps eliminate the abrasion (and resulting heat build-up) that occurs when the inner surfaces of a tire chafe on one another when the tire is run flat. It is now known that this function of a lubricant greatly facilitates the run-flat characteristics of a tire and permits certain tire constructions to be run flat a considerable distance at considerable speeds without destroying the remaining useful life of the tire.
The lubricant accomplishes this goal by forming a film between the areas of the tire which abrade upon one another. This film decreases the amount of heat build-up caused by this abrasion.
Other methods are known and have been disclosed for providing the inner periphery of a pneumatic tire with a fluid composition. One of these methods is to merely coat the inner periphery with the composition or to merely place the composition on the inner periphery with the composition permitted to move as the tire rotates. Methods of this type have never proven practical. The major drawback has been that the composition becomes ineffective (deteriorates or dries up) after being in the ambient conditions in the tire cavity for a period of time and the non-uniform location of the composition in the tire caused a vibration in the vehicle.
One of the other means which has been suggested is designed to eliminate this type of problem. This means includes a reservoir or storage chamber in which the lubricant is stored until the tire is run flat. The lubricant is released when the tire is run flat. This means retains the lubricant in an operative form until it is required.
Several mechanical devices have been disclosed to store the lubricant and to make it available for use at the proper time (when the tire is run flat). These prior methods have had various shortcomings, such as a complicated construction and valve system to dispense the lubricant, difficulty in mounting the reservoir, difficulty in mounting the tire when the reservoir is contained on the rim and the requirement for non-standard rims or tires to be specially designed to facilitate the incorporation of the reservoir and dispensing means. Also great damage could be caused by these prior devices breaking loose during operation.
It is an object of this invention to provide a tire-rim combination with a reservoir and dispensing means for holding and dispensing a lubricant into the inner periphery of the tire when the tire is run flat.
It is another object of this invention to provide a simple, inexpensive, uncomplicated reservoir and valve dispensing system for supplying the lubricant to the inner periphery of a tire when it is run flat.
It is another object of this invention to provide a light-weight lubricant reservoir and dispensing means for a tire which will not cause an out of balance condition in the combination with the tire and rim.
It is another object of this invention to supply a simple, uncomplicated means of attaching the reservoir and dispensing valve system to a tire rim.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a reservoir, dispensing valve system and fastening means for a lubricant which can be utilized in any standard tire-rim combination and can be so utilized without causing difficulty in mounting the tire onto the rim.